Ethno-Religious Conflict in Nigeria: Analysis and Resolution

Abstract:

Since the 1914 amalgamation of the northern and southern regions of Nigeria by the British colonial government, Nigerians have continued to debate the issues of peaceful coexistence among their various ethnic groups on the one hand, and between Christians and Muslims on the other. The question about living together in peace emerged in the Nigerian national debate as a result of the violent confrontation that has been occurring among “ethnic groups in conflict” (Horowitz, 2000), including the 1967-1970 civil war – a three-year bloody war that was fought primarily by the Igbo people from the southeast, representing the Christian population, and the Hausa–Fulani people from the north, representing the Muslim population -, the post-civil war ethno-religious massacres, and the recent Boko Haram terrorism which has resulted in the death of thousands of people including Muslims and Christians and led to the destruction of property, valuable infrastructure and developmental projects. Above all, Boko Haram poses a serious threat to national security, causes humanitarian disaster, psychological trauma, disruption of school activities, unemployment, and an increase in poverty, resulting in a weak economy. The Boko Haram terrorist attacks have indeed reignited the old debate on what it means for Muslims and Christians, Igbos, Hausa-Fulanis, Yorubas and the ethnic minorities to coexist and live together in peace and harmony. Drawing on postcolonial criticism (Tyson, 2015) and other relevant social conflict theories from the field of conflict resolution, this paper seeks to analyze, through the medico-diagnostic method of inquiry, the drivers, dynamics and sources of ethno- religious conflict in Nigeria. The paper lays out various ways by which this type of conflict could be resolved.